8/27/2016
Your Knight In Shining ArmorI apologize for my long post this week. I have just felt that God wants me to share my love story with our single young ladies, especially those leaving for college soon. I can't help but think back to that time in my life. Somehow I usually ended up going out with the wrong kind of guy. I seemed to be drawn to the bad boys. I decided who I would date in college by how the boy dressed and looked and that was about it. Obviously this didn't help my walk with God at all and the closer I got to the wrong kind of guy the farther I got from God. My sophomore year I was introduced to Mike. Despite the fact that my parents adored him and my mother was adamant that I should go out with him, I was not attracted to him. NOT AT ALL. In a Miami Vice era, he wore polyester, three piece suits and cowboy boots. His style was no style. I knew that he was a good guy and I knew he loved the Lord. I knew he would probably make an awesome husband but at the time none of that mattered to this young 18 year old. One evening I found out that he was going to ask me out. I knew my mom would kill me if I said no, so I hid from him! I went out to my friend's van with tinted windows and hid inside. That man walked right out to the van~and even then I did not acknowledge him, so he knocked on the window! Obviously I went out with him. Obviously I fell in love with him and married him. In fact, I was almost sure I was in love with him after the first date. What made the difference? His tremendous love for God. As I sat and listened to him on our first date I knew that this man would make me happy because he desired to make God happy. I could almost see my future on that first date and I loved it and I loved him and I knew right then that all those bad boys had no desire to please God, but only wanted to please themselves. My walk with God changed on that first date. Many of my old friends were angry at this change in my heart and life and I can understand why. But I knew it was real and I knew this was the beginning of an amazing life. Ladies, it has been amazing. I wouldn't change it for anything. Don't dismiss a guy just because he looks or dresses a certain way. Don't just live in the now. Look deep into your heart and picture the life you crave. The stepping stone into your future begins right now with the choices you choose to make. Don't ever settle. Choose a man that desires to glorify God and not himself. You can write your own love story today when you open your heart and see the heart of a young man who loves Christ. Once you do, that young man will suddenly become your knight in shining armor. So ladies, pick up the pen and start your story. The happily ever after is up to you.
8/20/2016
Lean On God. Lean On OthersBack in 1985 Mike and I took a little marriage survey of the top 10 things that cause stress in a marriage and I think we hit the first 5. We were moving 900 miles away from home and family. Newlyweds with a baby on the way. I was 20 yrs old and I'll be honest, I cried most of the way there. I would've followed Mike to the ends of the earth but back then there were no cell phones or texting to talk to mom and long distance calls cost so much. I went from relying on my mom and dad for everything to relying on Mike. I would throw God in for good measure, but I didn't rely on Him like I should. I was homesick and felt alone. Fast forward to 2016. I decided to dig that book out yesterday and take that survey again. With everything that has happened in the last few months, we had way over half of the stress inducers in our lives. The book claimed that if we scored over 300 we were at the highest risk of being hospitalized due to stress. Our score was 342, but today I'm not crying. I'm not stressed. I have such peace. I don't feel alone. My great God has carried us through this, and ladies it's because of you. It's because of the one prayer that you lifted up to our Savior asking for help and healing for Mike and I. Because of those who asked God to give me the peace that passes understanding. Because of those that quickly said "please be with Mike and Charisse". We feel your prayers. Every single one, every single day. The first day I asked for prayer for Mike my post reached over 5,000 people. That was so overwhelming. Even if half of those people said a quick prayer for us, that's still overwhelming!! My challenge is so simple. Don't just tell someone on Facebook you are praying. Read their heartfelt request, stop right then and ask God to help your friends. Be that one that prays. Even one prayer would mean the world to them. It will not only bless them, it will bless your heart as well. So many of us are going through things that seem too hard for us to handle. Let's let each other know that we are praying and Gods got this. Sometimes it makes a world of difference to know that others have your back and they are praying for you, even if it's only the ladies that follow this page. Don't go it alone. Lean on God and lean on others. What a precious thought it is to know so many are praying on our behalf and that our great God hears and answers!! "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Phil 4:7
8/13/2016
Guilty Of FairytalingWe as women can sometimes be guilty of fairytaling. I know that's not a real word but it sums it up pretty good. We want our future to be dreamy and picturesque. We see things through fairy tale eyes and not with reality in mind. I thought of this with my daughter's wedding. Praise God that the weather agreed with us that day, but the day before it was 10 degrees hotter and after the rehearsal she said to me~"what was I thinking having an outdoor wedding in the heat of August?" In her mind she could picture the beautiful setting but didn't really think past that. We as women can be guilty of looking ahead at our lives as a storybook. A picture. How perfect our husband will be. How cute our future babies will be, what our house will look like, how our children will turn out, where they will go to college and where they all will live when we get to be grandparents. But then reality hits. Our perfect husband eventually hurts us. Our babies come along and as much as we love them we go through night after night with a fussy infant and no sleep and begin to take it out on each other and fight. Then somewhere down the road we find ourselves crying in the dark of night as we rock those babies and thinking~ it's not supposed to be this way. And in an instant, time has flown by and we find ourselves crying and wishing we could rock them again as we send them off to college or as they get married and leave our nest. Our storybook life is not fairytale like we thought when we were young and naive. So here is my challenge for Kathryn and Josh along with all of you today. Don't base your life or your kids lives on the picture perfect story you wish you could have but base it on God's perfect book. Stay in Gods word and focus on Him. Whether you are just engaged or a grandma like me, it's never too late to have the perfect story God intended for your life if you turn to Him and give Him that life. Give God every decision, every hurt, every future plan your heart has and let Him write your perfect story. As you talk to Him and lean on Him, as you trust Him and seek Him you will know it's going to be a story far better than any fairytale because the God who loves us more than words could ever express wrote it just for you.
What do you do when your Superman is sick? What do you do when there are only three days until your daughter's wedding and your "everything man" is in pain and not allowed to do a thing? My husband is a rock. He is your "go to" guy. If you need something done, if you want to know how to fix something or how to get somewhere, just ask him. He drops everything to help others, day or night. My kids say "Dad doesn't feel pain like normal human beings", so what do I do when he really is in pain? When the man I have learned to lean on so much needs to lean on me? I learn to allow myself to lean on others and accept the many offers to help. It is humbling and so very appreciated. I take comfort in the prayers of so many, and I lean on my Jesus. I pray and I pray and when I'm too tired to think, I just whisper to Jesus and He holds me and makes everything ok. God gives us miraculous strength when we didn't think there was any strength left. I know so many of you have husbands who are going through much worse. It's so hard to see the one who means everything to us hurting so bad. You might feel like you can't make it through another day. Learn to lean on those who want to help and more importantly, lean on Jesus. Whisper His name. Your husband may be your Superman but the God who created the universe is your Savior and He will carry you through.
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